亚当·斯密以“同情”为道德的人性基础，其道德哲学深刻影响了斯蒂芬·平克的伦理思想。平克以暴力的下降为人类历史进步的标尺，其伦理思想之“善良天使”与“心魔”冲突的二元人性论，珍视生命和减少痛苦的低调伦理观，由设身处地的换位想象而形成交互主体利他的“移情”说，皆与斯密的道德学说一脉相承。平克以当代心理学、脑科学和神经科学的成果证明并丰富了斯密的“同情”说。

Adam Smith takes “sympathy” as the human nature basis of morality. His moral philosophy has had a deep influence on Steven Pinker’s ethical thought. Pinker views the decline of violence as the sign of the progress of human history. Pinker’s ethical thoughts are in the tradition of Smith’s moral theory, such as the dualism concept of human nature about the conflicts between the better angels and the inner demons, the low-key ethics about cherishing life and reducing pain, and the altruistic “empathy” theory of interactive subjects formed by the transposition imagination. Pinker proves and enriches Smith’s theory of “sympathy” with the achievements of contemporary psychology, brain science and neuroscience.